


The Case of the Ruby and the Golden Heart

by AshaDev



Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: A Study In Pink reworked introduction, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Steampunk, First Time, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-06
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-09-12 16:41:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16876428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AshaDev/pseuds/AshaDev
Summary: A centuries old watch goes missing and the hunt for the thief unravels a darker plot. In the chaos, John discovers an alarming truth about himself.The adventure begins.





	The Case of the Ruby and the Golden Heart

**Author's Note:**

> My first Sherlock fic. Comments are encouraged. I can't get better without feedback. :)

The creaking pipes on the terracotta roofs pumped out wide, heavy plumes of black smoke and John sort of felt like he was suffocating. His hired car rumbled over the stone cobbled roads and he sighed for the fifth time that day as the cab got closer to the center of London. After three days, he still wasn’t quite sure why he had agreed to meet David about the room for rent. He hated the city but the country drove him mad. The vast, empty fields reminded him too much of the war. Admittedly, the whoops of steam engines and the cracks of electricity from the zeppelins floating gently across the London skyline were not very conducive to repressing the dark memories either. He gripped his right thigh as a whisper of an ache creeped up from the tense muscle. Thin, long pistons running down the leg of his copper knee brace slid smoothly and the gears on either side squeaked as John stretched. The car came to a stop in front of a small park where children were flying their kites. Some kites had tiny, rudimentary engines that let out small white puffs and made the kites swing and zigzag in the sky like swallowtails.

John slipped the silver coins into the plain wooden box and a small flag popped up indicating payment. The door hissed open and John swung his legs out and slowly rose out of the low metal-ensconced cab. The wind pushed at the unbuttoned flaps of his short dark green jacket. He stepped forward and the gears in his right leg clicked effortlessly as he walked into the park with only a slight limp. He smiled a little at the shrubbery and trees in the quaint park. It was so rare to see such greenery in the city. He felt like he had come upon an oasis. He walked down the main path until he spotted David eating a croissant sandwich and staring up at the kites dotting the surprisingly clear sky. John was still a few meters away when David stilled for a moment before turning his head to look directly at him. At that distance, John could see the delicate iron plate wrapped around David’s left ear with a decorative dark wooden trim. John wondered at the need for an ear piece for someone who wasn’t elderly or deaf. John was generally opposed to body modifications unless medically necessary, like his. It just never sat well with him that people allowed themselves to be experimented on like this. He had seen his fair share of botched ‘enhancements’ in the war and it still made him shudder to think about.

“John, mate, you made it.” David smiled broadly as he stood to greet him. They shook hands cordially for a moment, smiling politely. They looked at each other a moment longer before joining in a friendly embrace. “It’s been too long.”

“It has.” John said, as they pulled away from each other. “Fortunately, under better circumstances this time.”

“I hear that.” David smiled. “No, no, John, don’t bother sitting. We’re on a tight schedule.” David grabbed his bag and slung it across his chest. “We can chat on the way there.” He turned to walk toward the other side of the park.

They walked across the estate, with David being kind enough to walk slightly slower to accommodate for John’s gait. Neither of them mentioned the war. They chatted about insignificant things such as the new airship coming all the way from Brazil with an ambassador to negotiate new trade routes. It wasn’t until later that John realized that they were headed to a much nicer part of town than he was used to.

“Hold on David, where is the room for rent anyway? I don’t think I can afford this neighborhood.” John looked around as they stepped through the large park gates and out to the sidewalk. The houses were elegant and perfect with several small private gardens in between each structure.

“Oh, no, the room isn’t here. I just want you to meet the bloke who’s renting it out. He works here. Sometimes. Well, when he needs to.” David glanced up at a tall pristine white building just a block away. “We’re nearly there.”

The pair walked down the elegant New Victorian streets bustling with ladies in lavish puffed out dresses strolling along and going in and out of boutiques. Gentlemen in long coats and high hats ambled with confidence and purpose. Almost every passerby had some kind of modification. The most common were lifts that ran through the lower tibia or elongating gold fangs. Common mods for the well-to-do. As they neared the white building, John realized it was a hospital.

“He’s a doctor?” John smiled, thinking it might be nice living with another doctor. Though maybe he was one of those doctors who liked to modify more than truly heal. John hoped not. He had had his fill of those kinds of doctors before and during the war as well. Those doctors preferred to cut out a soldier’s damaged but healable eye and replace it with a glass monstrosity that promised 40/20 vision. He could still hear that lad’s screams. John frowned at that particular memory.

“You’ll see.” David smiled and John thought he had imagined that it looked slightly mischievous.

They went into the surprisingly empty hospital. He didn’t see any nurses at all. “What is this place?”

“It’s a lab. It’s a satellite office and laboratory for St. Bart’s, actually.” David waved at a small man sitting up against the main doors. “Heya, Zach.” The guard waved at him with a large mechanical hand.

They walked down the well-lit corridor and David stopped outside two large doors with hazard signs posted all over. “Ready?” He said, a smile still playing at his lips.

John looked at him quizzically. Why would he need to be ready? “Uh, yes?”

David smiled wider and pushed open the doors. John stepped in and immediately noticed two things. First, this was indeed a lab stocked full of glass beakers, odd metal contraptions, and jars full of chemicals. Second, there was a dark figure hunched over the main table in the middle of the room, looking at small glass plates very closely. The figure didn’t react to the intrusion.

David walked forward and called out. “Mr. Holmes! I’ve found you a flatmate!”

The man did not move from his bent position for several seconds. John was about to open his mouth when the man spoke, low and calculated. “What war?” John remained silent, taken aback by the sudden question. The man spoke again. “What war?”

“Um, Serbia.”

“Yes, I thought as much.” The man said cooly.

John was in shock for a few more minutes before speaking up. “Well, I’m sure you gathered that from David.”

“Mr. Thorton has never mentioned you.” He responded.

John cleared his throat. “So, how could you have even known about Serbia?” Perhaps it was just sheer luck, John thought.

“Well, it certainly wasn’t luck.” The man replied. This time he unfolded himself and rose much higher than John had anticipated. The man was tall and slender with gorgeous chocolate curls crowning his head. He wore a simple dark blue blouse, tight black trousers, a black jacket, and a long dark grey open coat over it all. John couldn’t see much of his face, as he noted with disappointment that his potential flat mate had mechanical goggles on. So much for hoping for the right kind of doctor. The man turned his face toward John, his mechanical eyes focusing and unfocusing briefly. “You have a military mandated hair cut but the slight puffiness from your chin indicates that you have not kept up with the military mandated training. Your jacket is a reused formal-social army jacket, I’m guessing maybe lieutenant, perhaps captain. You have a slight gait indicating injury but your mechanical reinforcement is of a quality and grade often seen in government programs. In other words, subpar. Your posture is rigid and your stance wide, both mannerisms often learned and beaten into those who have chosen to join the ranks to defend queen and country. And since you appear to be more than acquaintances with Mr. Thorton, it is very obvious and absurdly simple to deduce that you were not too recently a member of the oh so useful and proud Her Majesty’s Armed Forces. More specifically, the army.”

John gaped at the man - lips parted and eyes wide. David chuckled and John finally took a breath as the spell was broken. “That’s. That’s fantastic. How the bloody hell did you do that?” Though amazed, his posture got even straighter as his suspicion and reservation grew. Who was this man?

The man’s lips curved up slightly. “One simply has to look and observe.” The tall man stepped forward to stand in front of him. “And I see that you have already decided to take the room. Excellent. I will meet you at 221B Baker Street at 1300 hours. I have your key ready. I presume you would like to move in today as your current lease ends tomorrow.”

“Uh, um…” John stammered a little, more shocked than ever, but he had to admit, he did need the room and this chap was, in all sense of the word, brilliant. He was intimidating and sharp and frankly sounded a bit nuts, but he was still brilliant. John was entranced. “Yes. Um, yes. Great. Yeah.” John blinked a few times before he remembered to introduce himself. “Oh, and my name is John Watson. Dr. John Watson.”

The man’s eyebrows rose and his reserved smile got wider. “Interesting.” He flipped a small lever on the side of his goggles and a hiss of steam escaped the contraption. He reached behind his head and pulled at the straps before lifting the goggles off his face completely. John’s heart skipped a few beats as amused, intelligent, and rather striking pale blue eyes blinked at him. The man held out an elegant hand and John shook it a bit distractedly as he continued to stare.  “Holmes. Sherlock Holmes.”


End file.
